Venture Concept #2

Venture Concept Description: 
The SeaStraw will solve the initial problem (a lack of a functional, yet environmentally friendly straw) by providing customers with a straw that will not hurt the environment or animals in their natural habitats, but still functions as a normal straw and stays put. This straw will not fall limp in the middle of a drink or start melting into paper in your mouth. Customers will want this product because they are desperate for a straw alternative, and customers who already have metal straws may switch to this product because they are curious, want to help feed animals in water ecosystems with it, or are served a drink with it at a restaurant. Most likely they will be served it at a restaurant or given the straw by a distributor, but some very eco-friendly individuals may be interested in purchasing it themselves, too. Anyone else on the market with a plastic straw alternative is my competition, but I will work against them with advertising and spreading the word/idea of SeaStraw (like making it go viral among younger audiences). Distribution would lie with the restaurants who choose to carry the straw; there won’t be much distribution coming from people at home who choose to buy a 10 pack of straws. Based on feedback I received, I want to target restaurants and businesses more than individuals because they are likely to buy my product in larger quantities and the business will not be able to survive off of individuals buying only a few straws at once. Focusing around advertising is key to help get the word out to these businesses and people that would be otherwise unaware. 

2) I summarized feedback from both my venture concept and my What's Next post. In general, my peers agreed that the straw is more likely to be a hit among businesses and restaurants that would distribute it to people (like us going to Swamp in Gainesville). Being able to acclimate my customers to the product first in a restaurant space is much more likely to bring success than expecting them to order the SeaStraw themselves online. I also really liked an idea that I was given that said I could test my straw with a sample group of people on campus to better visualize how much support/profit the straw could actually get. 
I did pitch an idea about making the straw more portable, but someone pointed out that this still doesn't guarantee more people will buy the straw or even care about that. I totally agree with this after thinking about it more; the portability is the last issue people have with straws.
3) I changed my venture concept to definitely focus more around targeting businesses. I think that social media and advertising among younger people is still definitely very important, but I wouldn't count on them to buy the straw themselves. The way I see it, support could grow among these younger audiences and they can become familiar/excited about the product and then get excited when restaurants say they are proudly serving the SeaStraw. This attention from younger audiences (as in young adult age) will also hopefully add some pressure for restaurants to get the SeaStraw. 
Point: Plastic straw bans are a beneficial beginning - The Pitt News

Comments

  1. Camila ParraApril 27, 2020 at 6:38 PM

    Hi Linnea,
    I think you did a great job processing your feedback and seeing what you could do with it. I believe you would make a greater profit by going to local businesses and you're right in that it would catch the eye of customers for them to then make it personal. Perhaps portability is not a big concern, and I don't think you should spend effort in developing this if eventually your straws will just go to local businesses--- perhaps an eco-friendly packaging. Great job and nice picture!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Justino Quezada Jr.April 27, 2020 at 6:58 PM

    Hello Linnea,
    I think you did an excellent job in reading your feedback and focusing on it to better market your product. I believe I was one of the people who commented on your previous post about targeting businesses being a good idea. I think your idea of the younger audience pressuring these restaurants to get the SeaStraw. Your post was great and I loved the picture!

    ReplyDelete

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